WATCH: Unsettling video shows Thomas Crooks casually strolling through crowd hours before shooting Trump
BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA: Thomas Crooks, the alleged assassin of Donald Trump, was captured on a disturbing new video that shows him seemingly meandering through the Pennsylvania rally audience less than two hours before he opened fire on the former president.
Employees of the apparel firm Iron Clad USA captured the video, which shows Crooks browsing through a row of vendors while surveying the audience.
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When was the video filmed?
At 4.26 pm, the footage was taken, which is approximately one hour and forty minutes before Thomas Crooks opened fire from a factory roof outside the rally, striking Donald Trump in the ear and killing one onlooker while injuring two more. The owner of Iron Clad USA claimed to have discovered the video while going over rally footage they had shot.
“We were there just trying to sell our patriotic hats from my small business,” the company wrote in a TikTok video where they released the clip. “Captured a video of Thomas Matthew Crooks at 4:26pm, just before the assassination attempt occurred," it added. Crooks was shot dead by the Secret Service and he was wearing the same clothes in the video when he was seen alone, according New York Post.
FBI thrashed for releasing Thomas Crook's body to family for cremation
This footage surfaced soon after Representative Clay Higgins, a Republican from Louisiana who is on the House task force looking into the shooting, published his preliminary inquiry report. Representative Mike Kelly, the task force chairman, received a copy of Higgins' report earlier this week, which sparked questions and more rumors about how the case's evidence was handled.
In his report, Higgins described his three-day trip to Butler in early August when he attempted in vain to view Crooks's body. The congressman stated in his letter that when attempting to inspect Crooks's body on August 5, he discovered that the FBI had given the body away for cremation on July 23, which was ten days after the incident. Higgins claimed that prior to his investigation, the County Coroner and Sheriff, among other local officials, were unaware of this fact.
Higgins continued by claiming that this FBI move could only be defined as a hindrance to any further investigation. The autopsy and coroner's reports were "late," the lawmaker added, adding to the complexity of the probe.
In a statement that accompanied his preliminary findings, Higgins reaffirmed his dedication to learning the whole facts about the attempted assassination. He emphasized that the American people need to know the whole truth about the attempted assassination of Donald Trump and promised to address every query, investigate every idea, and dispel any doubts.
Internet reacts after new video of Thomas Crooks comes to light
Netizens gave their opinions after the new chilling footage of the Donald Trump shooter surfaced on the internet. One X user tweeted, "I wouldn't be surprised to see photos of him shaking hands with the secret service at this point." Another wrote, "This whole thing was obviously an inside job."
"Trump should have hired some good acting dramatic secret service agents the real ones don’t know how to act," remarked one. Someone else wrote, "Where were his weapons and equipment while doing this? did he hide them on the grounds or were they still in his car? "
I wouldn't be surprised to see photos of him shaking hands with the secret service at this point
— Ster (@_SuperGoose) August 20, 2024
Trump should have hired some good acting dramatic secret service agents the real ones don’t know how to act
— obamas stogie 🚬 (@gardengremlin09) August 20, 2024
Where were his weapons and equipment while doing this?
— and I wont back down (@Trumper2020) August 20, 2024
😶😶😶
did he hide them on the grounds or were they still in his car?🤔
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